Where Is the Democrats' Tea Party?

Over the last 22 months, liberals have cautioned the GOP about the dangers of the Tea Party movement. They warned that Tea Party candidates and the rank and file were too “extreme.” As it turns out, the GOP would have been destroyed had it not been for Tea Party support. I recall an MSNBC poll late last year that said the Tea Party was held in higher favor than either of the two political parties. A Rasmussen poll conducted mid-year showed that the Tea Party was more popular than President Obama. Admittedly, with his tanking numbers that’s not hard to do. The progressives and the liberal media have been focused on and hoping for negatives for the GOP spawning from the Tea Party movement. In so doing, they’ve ignored the catastrophe that has resulted from the huge swing to the left in the Democrat Party.

There was a time when the nation could be assured that no matter which party was in control of the White House or the Congress, the nation would always be defended from our enemies. After 9/11, that all changed for Democrats in every level of government. In 2006, Gerardo Sandoval, a San Francisco city councilman, said on Hannity and Colmes: "I don't think we should have a military. ... What good has it done us in the last five years?” Such liberals would stand, as an invading army comes ashore, with a copy of the U.S. Constitution telling the invaders they have no right to invade. And if the enemy soldiers insisted on their attack, these liberal would agree, but insist that all of their rights be enforced because the document says so. Don’t these liberals recognize that our fighting men and women secure our liberties under that Constitution? Those liberties allow people like Gerardo Sandoval to have their opinions, no matter how inane they are.

Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said this of of Osama bin Laden: "One could say that Osama bin Laden and these non-nation-state fighters with religious purpose are very similar to those kind of atypical revolutionaries that helped to cast off the British crown.” Yes, one could say that if one is a terrorist apologist who blames her own country first in all things. Most sane people would not say that. Democrats have always had reputations for being soft on national security. But in the last decade or so the word "Democrat" has become synonymous with "surrender." Dems also have a proclivity for bashing, bastardizing, or dishonoring the country’s founding document, the Constitution. Here’s some audio/video evidence on that. You really have to see and hear it to believe it.

What it boils down to is liberals in leadership of the Democratic Party no longer believe that American ideals are worth fighting for.

Nancy Pelosi is a treasure, isn’t she? The San Francisco liberal, who wouldn’t know a traditional American value even if she read about one in a recent issue of New You, has been instrumental in making the Democrats a one-dimensional party. And they just re-elected her to serve as minority leader. I guess Dems didn’t really “get it” when it comes to the message from the historic 2010 elections. Democrats like Joe Lieberman, Zell Miller, or the late John Kennedy could hardly be at home in the Democratic Party she has helped to create. As speaker, Ms. Pelosi has managed to pile $5 trillion of debt onto America. Now, every child is born $42,000 in the hole. And consider this: it took Pelosi four years to spend that $5 trillion. President Obama’s debt commission has suggested a 10-year plan, of pain and taxing, to trim $4 trillion from our debt. And after 10 years, we’ll still not have recovered from Pelosi’s disastrous reign as speaker. Before her rule, Democrats had managed to earn the American people’s trust in financial matters. After years of help from their pals in the media, Democrats had managed to finally beat that “tax and spend” label. Pelosi destroyed decades of Democratic propaganda and revealed the pig behind the lipstick. For Pelosi, the taxpayer is an unlimited source of funding for social experimentation, federal expansion, and of course the funding of liberals' re-election campaigns. Is it any wonder why so-called “Blue Dog” Dems ran so many ads distancing themselves from Pelosi in their futile attempt to save their jobs in the 2010 midterms? It has become clear that unless you believe in excessive taxes, bigger government, less individual freedom, and massive government spending, you’re no longer welcome in the Democratic Party. The Democratic tent has certainly shrunk under Pelosi. But there may be another high-profile liberal that has done even more damage to the Democratic brand than “Madame Marxist.”

President Obama told us his thoughts of national defense in a 2008 campaign ad: “I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. And I will institute an independent defense review board to endure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.” He followed through on his promise about the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

By law, every four years the U.S. Department of Defense must present to Congress a comprehensive review of the security threats and challenges to America. It was widely reported that Islamic radicalism did not receive one mention. And the threat posed by a nuclear Iran received a brief mention: one sentence. Contrast that with the in-depth eight-page evaluation on how global warming threatens our nation.

Here are some memorable quotes from Barack Obama on his worldwide apology tour at the beginning of his presidency:

-- In France, he said that America "has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" toward Europe.

-- In Prague, he said America has "a moral responsibility to act" to control weapons production because only the U.S. had "used a nuclear weapon."

-- When asked about American exceptionalism he said, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism, and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."

-- And on his failed Indonesian trip, the president was asked what he thought about jihad. I won’t subject you to the very long, fumbled, disjointed, and just plain odd response the president gave. Suffice it to say, Mr. Obama just couldn’t bring himself to say that the jihad movement that has taken root in Islamic fundamentalist circles is a blight on humanity.

Let’s face it: Americans aren’t used to our president heading overseas and trashing our values, distorting our history, weakening our defensive posture, and taking the stance that America is “just another country.” Don’t get me wrong. I fully realize that Democratic presidents have done one or two of these anti-American acts in the past. But with Mr. Obama, you get the complete leftist package. He is an overachiever, we’re told. It has been fascinating to watch as Obama’s policies both at home and abroad have galvanized, resurrected, and created brand new groups of opposition to left-wing thought. And he’s done it with such style. It was widely reported that during the negotiations for the stimulus bill Obama said, “I won.” The message of unabashed arrogance was directed at Republicans to make sure they knew how “negotiations” would go.

I find it difficult to think of another figure who so crystallizes leftist thought than President Barack Obama. He’s even inspired other nations to turn from their former socialist paths. We’ve seen evidence of this recently as both Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain rejected Mr. Obama’s plea for their countries to partake in more deficit spending. Instead, the two leaders decided that cutting spending was the way to go. Germany’s economy is growing at a much faster pace than ours, especially in the realm of job creation. Europe and other countries, both friend and foe, realize that they must now grow up. America, under Obama’s leadership, has been so weakened that it can no longer drive the world’s economy. A recent report says that China’s economy will eclipse ours in two years. Many nations also realize that under liberal rule, America is no longer inclined to provide protection for our traditional allies. President Obama is truly socialist liberalism incarnate. And the name "Democrat" is quickly becoming a pejorative as a result.

My message to Democrats is simple: Take back your party. Your leadership has lead you astray. Today, the label “Democrat” means you sympathize with elements that want to destroy your country. It means that you’ll sacrifice the financial future of your children and grandchildren for the temporary convenience of today. The Dem label means that you reject capitalism and all the tenets that built the most advanced, prosperous, and free nation in human history. The Tea Party has set out to rescue the Republican Party. That movement has demanded that the GOP adhere to the planks of that party’s platform. What group of disenchanted Dems will do the same for the Democratic Party? When will the Democratic Party once again be considered a pro-American party, a party dedicated to the precepts outlined in our Constitution? And where are the rank-and-file Democrats who will right the ship and demand that Democratic Party bosses change course? Where is the Democrats' Tea Party?